NOTES ON SAXIFRAGES. 



the two that are not British are hieracifolia and Aizoon. Of 

 course we might easily discuss the whole question of the history 

 and dispersion of these arctic-alpine types, starting from Saxi- 

 fraga as a text, but we have not time for that ; I will only point 

 out that the distribution of Saxifraga agrees in broad general 

 outline with that of Primula ; and that both genera, using the 

 Andes as a bridge, reach South America. Gentiana also does 

 this, and comes out far more strongly in the Andes, and in 

 addition reaches the mountains of Australia and New Zealand. 

 In this connection I will ask to what extent in cultivating 

 Saxifrages you rely upon seed for extending your stocks. A 

 small number increase rapidly by means of bulbillre, and others 

 by vegetative growth. How do you account for Saxifraga 

 umbrosa, a plant with a very limited range in a wild state, 

 standing so well the drought and smoke of our London gardens ; 

 and S. oppositifolia, which a botanist would class as an alpine of 

 alpines, which grows naturally where there are only a few months 

 from snow-time to snow- time, making itself so completely at 

 home on a London rockery ? 



Garden Saxifrages. — Out of the 180 species we have just 

 about half in cultivation. I am sorry that in consequence of its 

 being so early in the year our exhibition of living plants to-day 

 is of necessity such a small one. There are a great many names 

 in the garden catalogues of which Botany knows nothing. As 

 this paper will be printed in the Proceedings of our Society, I 

 thought the best thing I could do would be to give a classified 

 catalogue of the cultivated species, with their names and native 

 countries. I have followed Engler's classification and adopted 

 his numbers, so that the blanks will show roughly where the 

 non-cultivated species fall. The great bulk of the cultivated 

 species come under six out of the sixteen groups. Three out of 

 these six have the cotyledons tipped and the leaves more or less 

 bordered with glands, and the three others are without them. 

 Of the non-foveolate groups Dactyloides includes twenty-one 

 species. These are marked by their mossy habit, copious trail- 

 ing leafy shoots, palmately divided leaves, and few corymbose 

 flowers, with petals usually large and white. The best known 

 species of this group are hypnoides, ceratophylla, and casspi- 

 tosa with its numerous varieties. Two fine large flowered-types 

 of recent introduction are Camposii and Maweana. The second 



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